Grain-elevator.



PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904.

J. I. FULTON. GRAIN-ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1904.

SHEETSSHEBT 1.

no MODEL;

lvimeowo No. 771,470. PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904. J. I. FULTON.

GRAIN ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. 1904. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 771,470. PATENTED OCT. 4, 190 i. J. I. FULTON. GRAIN ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1904. NO MODEL. SSHEETSQ-SHEET s.

UNITEn STATES Patented October 4, 1904.

Y PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB I. FULTON, OF TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' OF ONE-HALF TOALBERT E. FLEMING, OF ELPASO, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 771,470, dated October4, 1904.

Application filed May 21, 1904:- Serial No. 209,038. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: v

I Beitknown that I, J ACOB I. FULTON, acitizen of the United States,residing at 626 East Adams street, Taylorville, in the county ofChristian and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Elevators; and I do hereby declare the followingto bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to grain-elevators, and more particularly to aportable grain-elevator and dumping appliance; and it consists ofcertain novel features of combination and construction of parts, thepreferred form whereof will be hereinafter clearly set forth, andpointed out in the claims.

The prime object of my invention, among others, is toprovide an elevatorwhich, while primarily intended for lifting grain and receiving the samefrom wagons, carts, 860., and delivering the same intorailway-cars,boats, or other point desired, will also be found efficient and usefulfor handling other articles of merchandise, as coal, &c., all of whichwill be made obvious from the following specification.

A further object of my invention is to provide an appliance of thecharacter specified which may be easily portable, so that it may beremoved from place to place.

Another object of my invention, among others, is to provide an appliancefor the purpose set forth which will enable the grain to be easilydischarged, as from a farmers wagon or the like, into a receptacle, saidreceptacle having means cooperating therewith to elevate it to anydesired point, where it will be automatically delivered of its contents.

Other objects and advantages will be made clearly apparent from thefollowing specification, considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which Figure1 shows a perspective view of my invention complete ready for use. Fig.2 is a longitudinal central section thereof. Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view as taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing certain parts of my invention in side elevationp Fig. 5 is adetail View in section, showing the tripping mechanism for lowering therear wheels of the wagon,'whereby the grain contained therein will beeasily .delivcred into the grain-receptacle. Fig. 6 is a perspectiveView showing the preferred form of sheave-block and the adjustable hookprovided to cooperate therewith.

able tripping mechanism employed to release the grain from thereceptacle after the latter has been elevated to the desired height.

For convenience of reference to the various details of my invention andcooperating accessories numerals-will be employed, the same numeralapplying to a similar part throughout the several yiews.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings,

1, 2, and 3 are supporting-standards properly 7o there being four ofsaid standards, all of which 7 5 I are preferably of the same height andreach upward sufficiently to insure that the grainreceptacleo may beraised to a proper point,

as will be hereinafter set forth. Suitable approaches 7 and- 8 are alsoprovided, said So approaches being inclined drives properly hinged orotherwise suitably connected to the platform 9 and the side bar 10extending between the standards 3 3, as by the hinges 11 or equivalentthereof, whereby said inclined 8 5 Ways may befolde'd upward when not inuse, the platform 8 being disposed directly upon the platform 9 when ina folded condition. The platform 9 is provided with a pair of tilting-bars 12, which, as will be seen by refer- 9 ence to Fig. 2, arepivotally secured in any suitable manner to the under side of theplatform, as designated by the numeral 13. The outer ends of thetilting-bars 12 are beveled in such a manner that they cannot move down-9 5 ward, said beveled edge being designated by Fig. 7 is a per'spective vlew showlng a detail of 'the ad ust-6o the U-shaped members15, which fit around the pointed end of the bars and are thus reliablyheld in place until the controlling-lever 16 is moved outward, whichwill disengage the supporting U-shaped members and permit the inner endsof said bars to move downward and incidentally lower the rear wheels ofthe wagon, whereby the grain, coal, or the like contained therein willdrop into the receptacle 6 when the trap-door 17 is opened.

It will be understood that the receptacle 6 is provided with a hingedbottom section or chute 18, provided with side bars 9, whereby 41, theends of which wrap loosely around the j contiguous; standards2and 3 andmay be pergmanentlyor adjustably secured thereto, as 3 desired. If thebar 41 is adjustably secured when the chute 18 is lowered into adischarging position, as designated in Fig. 3, said side bar willprevent the grain or the like from moving laterally, the chute beingsecured in position by suitable supporting-hinges 20, as will beobviously necessary. The receptacle 6 is designed to be bodily raisedand lowered, and to accomplish this at the expense of a minimum amountof force suitable block and tackle will be provided, as will behereinafter particularly pointed out.

In order that the receptacle 6 and the load carried thereby may bereadily elevated and lowered, I provide the bail members 21, unitedtogether by the ring 22. The ring 22 is inj I the plates 40 upon, thebar 41, said plates betended to cooperate with the hook 23 upon thesheave-block 24, a suitable loop or bracket 25 being provided for theupper part of the casing of the sheave-block, whereby said loop. will beengaged by the trigger 26, held in a normally vertical position by thecontrollingspring 27. The casing of the sheave-block is also providedwith an aperture 28, in which the end of the controlling rope or cable29. is anchored, the said cable passing thence up-. ward around thestationary pulley-wheel and thence downward around the wheel 24;, thecable then being passed around another fixed pulley, 31, arrangedadjacent to the pulley 30, and is thence passed outward over thepulley-wheel 32 and downward into engagement with the pulley 33,arranged at a convenient point on the platform 9, said cable preferablybeing provided with a hook-terminal 34, whereby it may be attached tosome part of the vehicle being unloaded for a purf pose hereinafterspecified.

It will be observed that the hook-terminal 23 is adjustably mounted inthe bracket 35, carried by the casing of the sheave-block 24, and ittherefore follows that the hook may be readily lowered or raised, andthus adjusted to better perform its office and to insure that the loadwill be engaged at any desired height by means of the trigger or hook26.

The bottom of the grain-receptacle 6. being hinged thereto in the mannerabove specified,

it becomes desirable to provide means for holding the same in a closedposition, and with this purpose in view I provide a pair of staples orkeepers 36, located in the edge of the bottom 18, said staples orkeepers being designed to be engaged by the hooks 37 upon the lower endsof the pivoted controllers 38, said controllers being held normallytoward each other by the tension-spring 39 or the equivalent thereof.

Owing to the tension of the spring 39 the hook members will be held inposition to engage the keepers 36, and to insure that said keepers orstaples will be released after the grain-receptacle has been elevated toa proper height I provide a pair of preferably obliquelydisposed plates40, carried by the cross-bar to the standards 2 and 3,, then I prefer toprovide a plurality of openings 42 and also provide the locking pin orbar 4:3, designed to pass through apertures, in the collar member 44:,carried by the bar 4:1, after said apertures have been brought intoregistration with the apertures 42, this construction being fullyillustrated in Fig. I. The upper ends of the controlling members 38 arerounded or beveled upon their inner edges, whereby they will morereliably engage the outer surface of ing disposed directly in the,upward path of said control-ling members 38. I also provide for theouter edge of the hinged floor member or chute 1.8. theupwardly-extending rod 45, which passes. loosely through an aperture inthe bracket46, secured to a contiguous part of the end wall: of thereceptacle 6, a suitable cushioning-spring 47. being provided toencircle the upper end of the bar or rod; 45 intermediate the head 48,and; the bracket 46, whereby the strain or jar incident to the releaseof the free end of the chute 18 will be reduced tola minimum. I alsoprovide means for overcoming the tension of the spring 27, and; thusdrawing the detent or hook member 26 out of engagement with the loopmember 25 when it is desired to, release the receptacle and permit it todrop downward to its initial position between the lower ends of thestandards 2 2 and 3 3, a. suitable controlling cable or rope &9 beingprovided for this purpose, said rope being passed through the eyebol-t50, secured to. the upper part of the'framework carried by the upperends of said standards.

Believing that the construction of the various parts of my inventionhave thus been made clearly apparent, the operation thereof or manner ofusing the same may be stated to be as follows: The entire elevator islocated at the proper point, as contiguous to a railwaytrack or otherreceiving-point, and the vehicle containing thegrain or the liketo beelevated is driven'upon the platform 7 and thence over the receptacle 6onto the platform.9, and when the rear wheels are upon the inner ends ofthe titling-bars 12 the inner'ends of said bars are released by a propermanipulation of the controlling-lever 16, which will drop the rear endof the wagon down, so that when the door 17 isopened the grain will passfrom the wagonbed into the grain receptacle. 'After the grain-receptaclehas .thus been filled the hook member 23'is placed in engagement withthe.

ring 22 and the book 34 secured to some part of the vehicle. The vehicleis then driven off the platform 9 and down the inclined way- 8,

and by reason-of the approaches of the cable 29, passing as it doesaround the several pulley-blocks described, the receptacle, with its.load, may be easily elevated, it being under stood that the-bar 41, withits releasing-plates 40, shall have :been properly-adjusted to thedesiredpoint, so as to engage the controllers 38 andact thereon in sucha manner as to push the upperends outward and incidentally disengagetheirlower hooked terminals fromthe keepers orstaple-like members 36,and the result will be that the free end of the chute 18 willdropdownward and deliver the contents into a railway-car or otherreceiving.

point. When thereceptacle has been elevated to the desired point, it isunderstood that the hook member or detent 26 will engage theloop-terminal 25, and thus hold the receptacle in an elevated positionuntil a downward pull is made upon the cable orrope 49, which will drawthe detent 26to one side andout of engagement with the loop member 25and per mit the receptacle to drop to the initial position ready foranother load.

The various parts of my invention may be,

readily and cheaply manufactured andquickly assembled each initsrespective operative position, and the entire appliance may be easilyremoved from place to place, thereby providing a reliably-eflicientportable elevator for the-purpose specified, and while I have de;scribed the preferred combination and con-v struction of parts I wish tocomprehend-v in this application all substantial equivalents andsubstitutes.

Believing that the advantagesand mannerof constructing and usingmyinvention have. thus been made clearly apparent, further.de-

prising standards extending upward to the, desired point, a platform andan inclined driveway reaching to said platform, of a grainreceptaclelocated between said standards,,

said grain-receptaclehaving ahinged bottom, hook members carried'bysaid-receptacle and adapted 'to engage keepers carried by said hingedbottom and hold the same closed, a

spring uniting the upper ends of said hook members and adapted. to.holdthem in en-.

gagement with said keepers, a cross-bar ad justably secured to saidstandards, obliquelydisposedplates secured to said cross-bar and adaptedto engage the upper ends ofsaidhook members and release them from theirrespective keepers whereby the bottom of the receptacle will be releasedand permitted to drop down, and means tolift said receptacle as desired,substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth. 2

2. In a portable grain-elevator, the combination with a suitableframework comprising standards, a platform erected upon said frameworkand inclined driveways reaching to said platform, of a grain-receptaclelocated between said standards,a hinged bottom for said receptacle,cooperating devices carried by the'grain-receptacle to keep said bottommembersv for saidcooperating devices, an

adjustable cross-bar carrying said releasing.

devices, .means to-lift said grain-receptacle,

normally closed, obliquely-disposed releasing and additionalmeanscarried by the upperends of said standards adapted toengage andhold said grain-receptacle in its lifted position until released,substantially as set forth.

3: In a grain-elevator, the combination with suitable-standards and agrain-receptacle lo- -cated between said standards, of means to liftsaid/receptacle comprising a cable 29 and sheaves 24, 30, 31, 32, and33, around which said cable takes, the sheave 24 having abracket25-adapted to engage a trigger at the upper end of said standardswhereby the grainreceptacle may be retained in itslifted position ifdesired, and additional means to release said grain-receptacle,substantially as set forth. a

4. In a grainelevator,the combination with suitable'standards and agrain-receptacle located between said standards, of means toelevate'said receptacle, comprising in part a sheave-block 24, a bracketsecured to thelup- I per part of said sheave-block, a hook 23 adjustablysecured to said sheave-block and,

adapted to engage a ring carried by said'receptacle, and a trigger atthe upper end of said frame adaptedto engage said bracket and holdsaid.receptacle inan' elevated position,

i and means to release said trigger fromengagement with the bracket whendesired, substantiallyas-specified and for the purpose set forth. 7 f, w

5.. In a grain -elevator, thecombination with suitable standards, and areceptacle movablymounted therebetweemsaid receptacle having a a hingedbottom, of hook members adapted to engage keepers insaid hingedbottom-and retain it in its closedposition, a cross-bar 41 xneartheupper ends of said-standards, a pair of obliquely-disposed releasingmembers se- In testimony whereoflhave signed my name cured to saidcross-bar with which the upper to this specification in the presence oftwo sub- 10 ends of sald keepers are designed to engage seribmgWitnesses.

and release the hinged bottom, means to ada just said cross-bar upwardlyor downwardly JACOB FULTON whereby the grain will be released atdifferent W itnesses:

heights, and additional means to lift said re- JOHN J. SCOTT,

ceptacle, substantially as set forth. LnsLrE J. TAYLOR.

